On Friday (that being tonight) President Obama will host a iftar, a traditional meal during Ramadan. Here's an interesting quote from The Hill article reporting on it:
"Ramadan is a celebration of a faith known for great diversity and racial equality ... a reminder that Islam has always been part of America and that American Muslims have made extraordinary contributions to our country."
I find it interesting that Obama would actually say "Islam has always been part of America." The earliest recorded impact of Islam on America I can think of is the 1801 Tripolitan war (we didn't actually declare war, Tripoli did).
If Obama wants to recognize a Muslim holiday in order to build up credibility with foreign leaders, or if he actually respects and loves Islam is irrelevant to me. What is relevant is the claim that Islam has had some integral history in America. The fact is that Islam has simply not been a major part of American history. Have there been Muslims in America? Sure, there were occasional slaves, a few foreign travelers, and some early explorers, but none of them actually lead to what we could call an Islamic impact on America. The President's written statement is simply untrue and ridiculous.
Why do you take such offense to that? I've seen homosexuality discussed at great length and now a quick stroll in politics.
ReplyDeleteJust to be clear, what type of career are you looking for? There are many fields you can enter after seminary school. I would like to get an idea of your direction, if you don't mind sharing.
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI take offense to what Obama said because my undergrad degree is history. I happen to think that a right and good understanding of history is one of the best advantages a logical person can have. History reveals to us what the ultimate outcomes of bad plans are, it reveals to us what plans have worked well in the past. History reveals to us what has brought about good results, and what has lead to disasters. Second to a thorough understanding of Scripture, history is one of the disciplines that anyone who wants to claim to aspire to wisdom should know.
If President Obama is correct then we ought to take into consideration the impact of Islam on American society when we examine what we want that society to look like in the future, from both a Christian and a non-Christian perspective. If Islamic involvement in American society has lead to greatness, then we must examine that and weigh why that would be so. If, on the other hand, Islam has not had a significant impact on American society, then it is worth examining that as well. For instance, when we look to Islamic societies across the world, do we see an image of a society we want to emulate? When we look to societies that have had strong Christian influences are those the societies we want to emulate? Does the Presidents proclamation that Islam has always been in America muddy the waters of cultural understanding so that we can have a means of logical comparison?
As to what career I want, as much as I appreciate your concern I would much rather stick to the topic at hand, which is that American history is being redefined right before our eyes. When the President of the United States can make such a bold assertion as, "Islam has always been part of America" and, "American Muslims have made extraordinary contributions to our country," that is simply stretching credulity to its breaking point.
Have there been some famous American Muslims? Absolutely there have been. There have been sports stars, doctors, actors, even Miss USA 2010 was a Muslim (though she describes herself as more "spiritual" than "religious"). I know because when I read that I went and did some research to find out to what "extraordinary contributions" the President was referring. I can honestly say I did not find much.
I have no problem if the President wants to support Islam, as he is a free citizen of this country to do as he wishes. I do have a problem when he makes sweeping historical claims that are simply not true. Islam has not always been a part of America, the religious impulses of America, and the protections built into our system of governance were spawned by Protestant Christianity in Europe (see the long standing Baptist tradition of a separation of Church and state, and early Baptist leaders who were concerned with government interference in religious liberties). Muslims have equally not made "extraordinary contributions" to American society, unless you include the social activities of the Nation of Islam (which is not Muslim if you even remotely look into their history or doctrines) or a few sports stars.
Honesty is a virtue. There is simply no way any person could have read or studied the history of these United States and come to the conclusion that Islam has always been a part of it, unless that person had a very specific bias that was already present. Therefore, the President's words ought to be repudiated as simply false. If the President is right, then his position ought to be defended. But, because the truth has value, it ought to at least be mentioned when a public official makes such a momentous and demonstrably false statement.
Thank you for your response. I think it depends on the person when it comes to determining how momentously false the statement might have been. I see it as a minor stretch, but nothing out of the ordinary for politics when one side is trying to reach out to the other. Nothing sensible comes from politics and religion colliding.
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